Granted
observer status in 1993, the “Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe” declared its objectives in this way.

After
11 September 2001, co-operation has been further enhanced to include
active OSCE support for the work of the United Nations and its
specialized bodies in the global efforts against terrorism. The
shared UN-OSCE agenda includes:

Ratification
and implementation of the 12 Universal Anti-terrorism Instruments and
other initiatives to combat terrorism

Conflict
settlement and peace-building

Early
warning and conflict prevention

Small
arms and light weapons

Border
management

Environmental
and economic aspects of security

Anti-trafficking

Democratization
and human rights

Freedom
of the media

What in the world does all that mean? Who in the world knows, exactly? Besides, Texas is a sovereign state of the United States of America, not the United Nations. No one in Austin invited these folks over here to check us out on such short notice.

Texas
Attorney General Greg Abbott has thrown down the gauntlet, drawn the
line in the sand.

He
told the international outfit that if their observers come within 100
feet of a Texas polling place, they can expect to be booked into the
local casa de calaboose for an opportunity to sing for their supper in a concert appearance - in court.

Any
opinions of the observers, he added, are “legally irrelevant” to
the voting laws of the State of Texas.

According
to the on-line publication TPM Muckraker, the internationalist's
response was not long in coming.

The
letter provoked a swift response on Wednesday from Janez Lenarcic,
the head of the international group’s Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights,
who wrote a letter
to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing his concern that the
threat of prosecution was contrary to the U.S.’s obligations as an
OSCE participant.(click highlighted areas for a peek at the letters)

“The
threat of criminal sanctions against OSCE/ODIHR observers is
unacceptable,” Lenarcic said in a news release about the letter.
“The United States, like all countries in the OSCE, has an
obligation to invite ODIHR observers to observe its elections.”